Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 12 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao on Thursday wrote to Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, demanding "urgent and coordinated intervention" over the shortage of commercial LPG cylinders in Telangana.
While backing the Centre's decision to invoke the Essential Commodities Act, KTR recommended freezing commercial cylinder prices for the duration of the "crisis" and having a public real-time availability dashboard.
In his letter to Union Minister Hardeep Puri, the BRS leader wrote, "The acute shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has created a crisis of significant proportions, one that demands urgent, coordinated intervention from the Ministry and the committee it has constituted. We understand that the Union Government's decision to invoke the Essential Commodities Act and prioritise domestic household supply was a necessary measure. We do not contest it. However, the human cost of this decision on the commercial food sector is now severe and immediate, and requires equally decisive attention."
"The Telangana State Hotel Association has warned that nearly 90 per cent of hotels and eateries in Hyderabad and across Telangana could be forced to shut within 48 hours if commercial supply is not restored," KTR added.
The BRS Working President sought a tiered classification of commercial establishments for differential allocation of LPG. Calling single uniform category "the most consequential policy errors," he urged the committee of Oil Marketing Company executives to establish a "tiered framework distinguishing between large national and multinational food chains, mid-size standalone restaurants, small independent eateries, and street-side vendors and daily food stalls with allocation priorities designed to protect the smallest and most vulnerable operators first."
Claiming a surge in LPG cylinder bookings, he suggested that the committee direct the OMCs to make a "simplified version of this data publicly accessible, a dashboard, updated daily, displaying expected commercial cylinder supply dates by city and district cluster."
"Commercial cylinder prices have already seen a hike even as supply has collapsed. We urge the Ministry to consider directing OMCs to freeze commercial cylinder prices for the duration of this crisis... That is not just bad economics, it is a failure of the state's fundamental duty of care," the letter read.
Flagging concern over the black market, he urged the Ministry to activate "dedicated district-level enforcement cells with a clear mandate for ground action, not administrative circulars, not paper notices, but actual field intervention."
He also asked the Centre to issue work from home advisory for the IT and service sectors, and provide a "protected allocation" for students staying as paying guests or in hostels.
KTR expressed concern over disruption to gas-based crematoriums and demanded that last rites be declared essential services.
He also urged the Centre to "be prepared with an immediate relief mechanism for daily wage workers displaced" by the current situation.
Reportedly, there has been a shortage of commercial LPG gas cylinders in the wake of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, after which the Centre invoked the Essential Commodities Act, prioritising domestic consumption.
In Telangana, the Enforcement wing of CAF & Civil Supplies Department is conducting widespread search and seizure operations to crack down on the illegal commercial diversion and pilferage of domestic LPG cylinders, an official statement said.
Meanwhile, domestic LPG production has increased by about 25 percent and the entire domestic LPG production is being directed towards household consumers, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said on Wednesday. Home Affairs Ministry has strengthened a control room, now operating round-the-clock.
Union Minister Hardeep Puri is also set to make a statement in the Parliament today.